You'd be forgiven for expecting Drive 2: Bangkok Boogaloo. However, this is a very different beast from Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling's previous collaboration.

Julian (Ryan Gosling) is a drug smuggler in Bangkok operating behind the veneer of a Thai boxing gym. As a result of his vile behaviour, scumbag brother Billy (Tom Burke) meets a grisly end. Julian accepts the consequences of his actions but their mother Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas) seeks vengeance on corrupt cop Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm).

It’s completely understandable if you have preconceived ideas about this film (in a not good way). But it’s best to put them aside. The poster, undeniably fetishising the bodies of the two leads, doesn’t exactly help. The mixed martial arts in this film is incidental. It is not a film about mixed martial arts. (Or rather, I should say, Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC.) Instead it offers a very moving story of a family torn apart, with the conduit of that story being men fighting in cages.

Any history of martial arts movies and movie-stars inevitably centres upon the handful of motion pictures made by the legendary Bruce Lee and the impact these movies had upon successive generations of both fans and budding martial artists.

For someone who never had the intention of ever being an actor, Tamer Hassan has certainly achieved a great deal of success. He has worked with the likes of Christian Bale, Bob Hoskins, Orlando Bloom, and Morgan Freeman. His career path all started from a small part in Eastenders in 2001. Tamer was fortunate enough to pass by the failed auditions, and wondering where his next meal was coming from.

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